# United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky

The United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (in case citations, W.D. Ky.) is the federal district court for the western part of the state of Kentucky.
Appeals from the Western District of Kentucky are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

## Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction includes the following Kentucky counties: Adair, Allen, Ballard, Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Casey, Christian, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Green, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Jefferson, LaRue, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McCracken, McLean, Meade, Metcalfe, Monroe, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Oldham, Russell, Simpson, Spencer, Taylor, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren, Washington, and Webster.
The following counties are in the Louisville Division: Breckinridge, Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Spencer, and Washington.
The following counties are in the Bowling Green Division: Adair, Allen, Barren, Butler, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Green, Hart, Logan, Metcalf, Monroe, Russell, Simpson, Taylor, Todd, and Warren.
The following counties are in the Owensboro Division: Daviess, Grayson, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Union, and Webster.
The following counties are in the Paducah Division: Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, McCracken, Marshall, and Trigg.

## History

The United States District Court for the District of Kentucky was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. At the time, Kentucky was not yet a state, but was within the territory of the state of Virginia. The District was unchanged when Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792. On February 13, 1801, the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky, but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. The District was subdivided into Eastern and Western Districts on February 12, 1901, by 31 Stat. 781.

## Meeting places

The court is based in Louisville and also holds sessions in federal courthouses in Bowling Green, Owensboro, and Paducah. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio maintains appellate jurisdiction over the district. Its court in Louisville is located at the Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse.

## U.S. Attorneys

The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of November 17, 2021 the United States attorney is Michael A. Bennett.
* Ruben D. Hill 1898–1906
* George Du Relle 1906–14
* Perry B. Miller 1914–19
* W. Voris Gregory 1919–22
* W. Sherman Ball 1922–27
* Thomas Sparks Jr. 1927–35
* Bunk Gardner 1935–38
* Eli H. Brown III 1938–45
* David C. Walls 1945–53
* Charles F. Wood 1953–54
* J. Leonard Walker 1954–59
* William B. Jones 1959–61
* William E. Scent 1961–65
* Boyce F. Martin Jr. 1965
* Ernest W. Rivers 1965–70
* John T. Smith 1970
* George J. Long Jr. 1970–77
* J. Albert Jones 1977–80
* John L. Smith 1980–81
* Alexander T. Taft Jr. 1981
* Ronald E. Meredith 1981–85
* Alexander T. Taft Jr. 1985–86
* Joseph M. Whittle 1986–93
* W. Michael Troop 1993–99
* Steven S. Reed 1999-2001
* Steve Pence 2001–2003
* David L. Huber 2003–2009
* David J. Hale 2010–2014
* John E. Kuhn Jr. 2014-2017
* Russell Coleman 2017–2021
* Michael A. Bennett 2021–present

## Current judges

As of September 1, 2023:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 21 | Chief Judge | Gregory N. Stivers | Bowling Green Louisville Paducah | 1960 | 2014–present | 2018–present | — | Obama |
| 22 | District Judge | David J. Hale | Louisville | 1967 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 23 | District Judge | Claria Horn Boom | Louisville | 1969 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 24 | District Judge | Rebecca Grady Jennings | Louisville | 1978 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 26 | District Judge | Benjamin Beaton | Louisville | 1981 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 16 | Senior Judge | Charles Ralph Simpson III | Louisville | 1945 | 1986–2013 | 1994–2001 | 2013–present | Reagan |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Joseph H. McKinley Jr. | Louisville Owensboro | 1954 | 1995–2019 | 2011–2018 | 2019–present | Clinton |
* ↑ Judge Boom is jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky.

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Walter Evans | KY | 1842–1923 | 1901–1923 | — | — | McKinley/Operation of law | death |
| 2 | Charles Harwood Moorman | KY | 1876–1938 | 1924–1925 | — | — | Coolidge | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 3 | Charles I. Dawson | KY | 1881–1969 | 1925–1935 | — | — | Coolidge | resignation |
| 4 | Elwood Hamilton | KY | 1883–1945 | 1935–1938 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 5 | Mac Swinford | KY | 1899–1975 | 1937–1975 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 6 | Shackelford Miller Jr. | KY | 1892–1965 | 1939–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 7 | Roy Mahlon Shelbourne | KY | 1890–1974 | 1946–1964 | 1948–1960 | 1964–1974 | Truman | death |
| 8 | Henry Luesing Brooks | KY | 1905–1971 | 1954–1969 | 1960–1969 | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 9 | James Fleming Gordon | KY | 1918–1990 | 1965–1976 | 1969–1976 | 1976–1990 | L. Johnson | death |
| 10 | Clifton Rhodes Bratcher | KY | 1917–1977 | 1970–1977 | 1976–1977 | — | Nixon | death |
| 11 | Charles M. Allen | KY | 1916–2000 | 1971–1985 | 1977–1985 | 1985–2000 | Nixon | death |
| 12 | Eugene Edward Siler Jr. | KY | 1936–present | 1975–1991 | — | — | Ford | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 13 | Edward Huggins Johnstone | KY | 1922–2013 | 1977–1993 | 1985–1990 | 1993–2013 | Carter | death |
| 14 | Thomas A. Ballantine Jr. | KY | 1926–1992 | 1977–1991 | 1990–1991 | 1991–1992 | Carter | death |
| 15 | Ronald Edward Meredith | KY | 1946–1994 | 1985–1994 | 1991–1994 | — | Reagan | death |
| 17 | John G. Heyburn II | KY | 1948–2015 | 1992–2014 | 2001–2008 | 2014–2015 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
| 18 | Jennifer B. Coffman | KY | 1948–present | 1993–2013 | — | — | Clinton | retirement |
| 19 | Thomas B. Russell | KY | 1945–present | 1994–2011 | 2008–2011 | 2011–2023 | Clinton | retirement |
| 25 | Justin R. Walker | KY | 1982–present | 2019–2020 | — | — | Trump | elevation to D.C. Cir. |
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of Kentucky.
* 1 2 3 Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky.

## Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat reassigned from District of Kentucky on February 12, 1901 by 31 Stat. 781 ||||
| Evans | 1901–1923 |
| Moorman | 1924–1925 |
| Dawson | 1925–1935 |
| Hamilton | 1935–1938 |
| Miller, Jr. | 1939–1945 |
| Shelbourne | 1946–1964 |
| Gordon | 1965–1976 |
| Johnstone | 1977–1993 |
| Russell | 1994–2011 |
| Stivers | 2014–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on June 22, 1936 by 49 Stat. 1806 (concurrent with Eastern District) ||||
| Swinford | 1937–1975 |
| Siler, Jr. | 1975–1991 |
| Coffman | 1993–2013 |
| Boom | 2018–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Brooks | 1954–1969 |
| Allen | 1971–1985 |
| Simpson III | 1986–2013 |
| Hale | 2014–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Bratcher | 1970–1977 |
| Ballantine, Jr. | 1977–1991 |
| Heyburn II | 1992–2014 |
| Jennings | 2018–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Meredith | 1985–1994 |
| McKinley, Jr. | 1995–2019 |
| Walker | 2019–2020 |
| Beaton | 2020–present |